Three community health projects have been granted funding from Medibank thanks to the votes of local West Australians.
Ocean Road Primary School, United Way West Australia Foundation and Foodbank of Western Australia INC will each share in the $600,000 worth of funding which has been made available through the 2015 Medibank Community Grants program.
Medibank Chief Customer Officer, Laz Cotsios said each project addresses an identified health need impacting the West Australian community.
“The three health projects have won the hearts of West Australians and bring Medibank’s for better health purpose to life, by encouraging local communities to eat healthier, exercise more and stay connected with those around them”, Mr Cotsios said.
“The projects will play a vital role combatting the onset of preventable diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes and work towards ensuring the health of our next generation”.
The 2015 grants round was highly contested with more than 500 applications from community organisations around Australia and New Zealand.
From here, 33 projects were shortlisted online by councils made up of Medibank employees. The Australian community were then asked to vote for the community health program that was not only relevant to where they live but their own personal values.
“It was a really important and conscious decision for Medibank to get the Australian public involved in the grants program and give them the final say on which community health projects they needed the most.”
The 2015 Medibank Community Grant recipients for West Australia are:
1. Ocean Road Primary School– $49,982
The Nature Play Environmental Program will develop vegetable gardens to maximise opportunities to introduce students who are from impoverished families and under the care of the DCP to fresh produce. By direct involvement in harvesting and cooking, students will be able to transfer skills to home.
2. United Way West Australia Foundation- $16,800
Through a 10 week program, parents will be encouraged to cook new, healthy foods for their family. The program hopes to address the negative impacts that inadequate nutrition has on the educational development of young children. The program provides practical strategies and information on health, nutrition, budgeting and exercise.
3. Foodbank of Western Australia INC - $33,218
The ‘Fuel Your Future’ program consists of an innovative series of cooking and nutrition workshops that aim to tackle the growing issues of obesity and chronic disease amongst disadvantaged young people from low socio-economic families and improve their quality of life.